Harmful traditions against women can be found in many different forms all over the world. Migration from Africa and Asia to Europe has been an enduring characteristic of the post-war period. Women are increasingly becoming migrants in their own right rather than elements of family units. Within the European Union we have experienced that especially young migrant women are confronted with harmful traditional practices such as female genital mutilation (FGM), forced marriage or honour killings. Despite their harmful nature and their violation of international human rights laws, such practices persist because they are not questioned and take on an aura of morality in the eyes of those practising them.

NAHT – Network Against Harmful Traditions wants to be an international platform for representatives of non-governmental and community based organisations (NGOs and CBOs), associations with expertise in working to stop harmful traditions and governmental and political bodies. Its aim is to link existing networks as well as new organisations in order to combat harmful traditional practices against women.

Harmful Traditional Practices violate Human Rights. These rights are articulated in several Conventions, such as: 

• The United Nations Charter (article 5) 
• The Universal Declaration of Human Rights 
• The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (article 7) 
• The Convention of the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women

The European Union is aware of the need to achieve equality between the sexes and of the fact that an equitable society cannot be attained if fundamental human rights of half of human society, in this case women, continue to be denied and violated. It is necessary to deal with the problems and the severe consequences for integrity, health, security and social and economic status of women and girls who are victims of harmful traditional practices. 

Harmful traditions sometimes seem impossible to change. We still do not have enough detailed data about the numbers or circumstances of these ordeals. Efforts to alter or eradicate these practices require the understanding, cooperation and initiative of the general public, the people who have experienced or witnessed these practices themselves and political leaders and policy makers. What is needed are policies aimed at helping the victims and eliminating these practices.

The purpose of the network is to exchange information, share acquired experience on the subject, and promote good practices at the community level as well as to prepare possible and necessary legal steps and measures for the European Union and responsible member states. Areas with special concerns are: 

• Collect data/statistics about the occurrence of these specific forms of violence against women in order to define the scope of strategies/legislation to be developed. 
• Refer specifically to certain forms of violence against women, e.g. female genital mutilation, in the criminal code. No one should be left uncertain, that this constitutes a crime.
• Cooperate closely with NGOs working with women from communities that might be particularly vulnerable to such forms of violence in seeking to update policies and legislation to protect victims. 
• Conduct awareness-raising campaigns among the professions and groups that are likely to have contact with victims: among them teachers, medical doctors and midwives, religious leaders, police and social workers. 
• Join each other in the effort to fully eradicate these harmful traditional practices globally

Violence against women takes on many forms – this can include physical abuse as well as verbal attacks or psychological terror.

"Traditionally-based" violence against women includes forced marriages, genital mutilation and crimes in the name of honour. It cannot necessarily be assigned to specific religions, but rather to certain cultures. Millions of women, particularly in Africa and Asia, are principally affected. However, global migration means that women throughout the world can become victims of traditional violence.

Women and girls in Austria are not spared this fate either. Although these forms of violence are punishable crimes and can lead to prosecution, it has unfortunately not been possible to stop them. They mostly go unnoticed and cases are seldom heard of. The few spectacular individual cases which become public are only the tip of an iceberg. Within the affected groups, the issue is a taboo and collective silence dominates – partly due to justified fears.

Forced marriages are closely related to cultural traditions, but can be found in various religious and ethnic groups. They transcend the borders of social classes and castes and affect both rich and poor families. Cultural values and patriarchal hierarchies, but also economic and ethnic factors play an important role here.

It is tradition, not religion, which employs and consolidates forced marriages and arranged marriages as an instrument of power.

Forced marriages constitute a massive violation of Article 16 of the General Declaration of Human Rights of the European Union, which establishes that marriage can only be entered into on the basis of the free and full declaration of will of the future spouses.

Female genital mutilation (FGM) refers to all practices where the female genital area is removed or changed, and is generally justified by references to tradition and cultural identity. The practice of female genital mutilation is deeply rooted in the respective societies and traditions of the countries where it originated, partly for centuries. FGM is often practised as an initiation rite which constitutes a precondition for being able to marry. Religious duties and tradition are the mainstays of FGM, but no religion endorses or encourages it. FGM is predominantly widespread in Africa, but due to worldwide migration it is also an issue in Europe.

It is estimated that more than 135 million women worldwide are affected by genital mutilation.

An increase of awareness within society is needed, and the public must realise that forced marriages and female genital mutilation constitute violence against women and girls. The Federal Ministry of Health and Women is therefore making the theme of "harmful traditional practices" into one of the main focuses of the Austrian Presidency.

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